Malaysian Monopoly

Monopoly is a time honoured board game played throughout the world. The two signature versions are the American and the UK versions, I have the old US version myself, but since it is a game based on locales, Parker Brothers, the game’s developer has been stamping out new editions by the hundreds. I think even Parker Brothers have a hard time keeping track. Some editions are no longer locale based instead serve as advertising platforms for corporations like Disney and McDonald’s.

So naturally, Malaysia has her own Monopoly Edition. And I’m not talking about the Saidina copycat version. I found it in a hypermarket one day and based on several net sources, I think place names are constantly being updated, for better or worse.

Striking a different path from the original, properties of the Malaysia Edition features roads like Petaling Street, districts and entire cities like Putrajaya, right next to each other on the board game. In the place of the four railroad stations are transportation hubs like KLIA and Puduraya bus station.

‘Luxury Tax’ or ‘Super Tax’ is translated as ‘Cukai Hebat’. However the most glaring mistake is Malaysian currency symbol, M, where we all know it should be RM. I didn’t buy the game.

Rapid KL LRT Line Extensions to Subang Jaya and Puchong

Rapid KL had an open day in conjunction with MPSJ anniversary of some sort. Because it was not available online, i took photos of the entire route.

Ampang Line

Kelana Jaya Line

I drew out a map of rail transit in Klang Valley on Google Maps, centering it on Puchong.

Klang Valley Rail Transit Map

Chronicle: Movie Review

Using the found footage format, this movie tells the tale of 3 high school boys, Andrew, who owns the camera, Matt, his cousin who gives him rides to school, and Steve the Alpha African American jock who running for class president. They find a mysterious underground glowing thingy. Luck was on their side, because soon after, they begin to display telekinetic powers.

The three teenagers started out small, experimenting with their new powers in the confines of their backyard. But their inhibitions lifted, and they started messing around with strangers instead. And no longer afraid of exposure, Andrew even orchestrated a telekinesis powered magic show at school to increase his popularity.

The audience will be treated with an exhilarating ride as we watch them hone their skills which eventually lead them to flying, moving big stuff and mind controlled explosions/implosions. One cool unforgettable scene was when they were playing football 33000 feet in the air when a passing airplane all but killed them. We also see how each of them deals with the repercussions of their actions (great power comes with great responsibility dilemma) and how each chose what rules to follow or not.

Andrew is really the central character in the plot. Also because it’s ‘his camera’ we’re seeing most of the footage through. Our main character lugs around lot of emotional baggage, we see his dying mother, his abusive father (abusive by American standards) who’s on some welfare scheme, the fact that the family’s broke and he’s being picked on in school (all the best movies have that). The producers hope that all that makes for one compelling character.

Some might argue that this isn’t a superhero movie, but all his circumstances and a strange perverted conviction would transform him into a supervillain. I won’t spoil you with more details, but the ending and the scenes leading up to it are both suspenseful and a little distressing.

Chronicle is intriguing, but unlike Cloverfield not nauseating. It is a little thought provoking and definitely not the run of the mill action movie. And different, definitely different. 7.5/10.

Sky Juice Prices Sky High

Referring to the article in the Star No longer cheap to drink water.

I think it’s outrageous that restaurants are charging so high for sky juice(or commonly known as plain water). Worse are the places that refuse to even serve water, but instead force expensive mineral water on you.

We all know that beverages are more lucrative than food. And I understand that they might want to cover the services aspect of it, water may cost next to nothing, but having staff wash the glass that they serve it in takes time and money. So maybe 50sen to a ringgit seems fair.

However, I believe that there should be a law that requires all F&B outlets to include plain water in their menu, not to be confused with bottled water. Most importantly, a maximum price should be set.

A Couple Of - Definition

Growing up in Malaysia, I got confused what ‘a couple’ meant. Some people say it means two, but in usage, it seems like it can be interchanged with a few. So which is it? The Oxford Dictionary offers 3 definitions for a couple as a noun.

1) two people who are married or otherwise closely associated romantically
E.g.: There’s an elderly couple on the bench. This assumes a man and woman

2) two people or things of the same sort considered together:
E.g. A couple of dancers. This means exactly two (2). It helps if there is supporting information to establish exactly two.

3) informal an indefinite small number:
E.g. I’ll be there in a couple of days. It basically means a few. And though it says informal, usage wise, it’s very widespread

So how to tell between 2 and 3? It’s pretty close, how do I know if they go together or not. If the word couple is used to quantify something, then we need to see the situation and context. Maybe that’s where the informal comes in. If the statement is casual, seemingly unimportant, undecided or uncertain, then couple means few.

If the situation is formal, for example a board meeting, if that number or quantifier is very very critical, then couple means exactly two. The above is my humble observation of what a couple means. Please comment if you disagree.

“I can’t believe this. Boss only gave me a couple of days to prepare this presentation.” – Exactly 2

“It’s too early, I’ll need a couple of hours to sober up.” – A few

“Did you notice there were a couple of hot guys checking us out at the mall?” – Exactly 2
“Whoa, did you see that? A couple of hot chicks just landed on our shores.” – Exactly 2

“How many friends am I bringing to tonight’s party? Just a couple.” – Waaay more than 2

Viral Factor: Movie Review

The viral factor? Unfortunately, the plot to this Hong Kong movie is as uninfectious as it gets. They probably hatched a story just to showcase Nicholas Tse and Jay Chou, who portrayed two long lost brothers who finally meet after their family was torn in two so many years ago. Nicholas was a criminal at large in Kuala Lumpur, while Jay was a cop working with some dreamt up international agency.


The bulletproof factor? The overall plot may be half baked, but after Nicholas being shot in the back countless times and still managed to run, shoot back and survive, it proves a stretch to far for me. Heck, if he’s so invincible, they should rename the movie. I wonder if the script is a product of multiple writers who never collaborated.


The language factor? Everyone speaks their own language. No kidding, Nick speaks exclusively Cantonese, Jay speaks Mandarin (with a smattering of English), their mother in Beijing speaks mandarin, while their father in KL speaks Cantonese only (the crude kind). It’s a novel idea, having everyone speak in their most comfortable language, but not when it starts to affect the plot. I think it went too far when the little sister of both brothers, who goes to our Malaysian Chinese school, chooses to speak to Jay in Cantonese.  And you just don’t get that character to character connection.


Toss out all logic and believability, because the producers want you to focus on the action. You can count on these real stunts and not overdependence on CGI to keep your nerves on edge. Yes, the stunt based action scenes are this Hong Kong film’s saving grace.


The KL factor? This was my main reason for watching this. Since Entrapment in the 90s, there weren’t a lot of movies featuring KL like this. Actually none. So it was a thrill watching places I know in KL and Putrajaya where bombs explode, cars crash into Pavilion stores and helicopters chase each other amid the skyscrapers of KL. Yes, if you’re Malaysian you have added incentive to watch.


Two thirds into the movie, I was laughing so hard in the theatre; I think I made a scene. It’s one of those movies that are so bad, it becomes a good comedy. So what does a movie riddled with unrealistic scenarios get from me? A 3/10. If you’re Malaysian, then maybe a bearable 5/10.

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Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol Movie Review

Tom Cruise destroyed the Mission Impossible franchise. He converted a much loved team-based tv show into a one-man-show, one cocky, self-absorbed, megalomaniacal man’s show.

With JJ Abrams at the helm, we are rewarded with more teamwork like in MI3. But unlike that forgettable predecessor, which was all work and no play, MI4 breaks apart the typical spy movie mould.

After 3 movies of cliff hangers, dizzying action scenes and sometimes incoherent plot lines, the fourth instalment decided not to take itself too seriously. And to great effect, MI4 is effectively an action show with bits of comedy cleverly infused; the recent A-Team comes to mind.

For me, Ghost Protocol is best remembered for cool gadgets that don’t work. Even the iconic self-destructing message device fails to self-destruct in 5 seconds and needed a good knocking from Ethan Hunt to start smoking. All throughout the movie devices like Gecko Gloves used to scale skyscrapers and portable rubber face mask fabricators just refuse to perform their designed purpose.

Otherwise it’ll just be like any other spy flick where the hero whips out a new tech and fireworks fly or something. I bet it started with James Bond, new tech brings ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’, but not anymore. All these malfunctioning gadgets force the characters to innovate and think on their feet creating more tension/drama.

MI4 is the first major blockbuster to feature the Burj Khalifah, tallest building in the world for this next decade at least. I read that Dubai made sure it’s featured extensively. For me, that’s a great enough reason to watch it.

Also, for you Bollywood fans, Ethan Hunt and team travelled to India where they met the veteran Anil Kapoor, who played a media mogul and much a appreciated comic relief.

SO overall, I give it 8/10, I deducted points for it featuring Tom Cruise. Yup I’m a hater, but there was one scene where I think we haters will rejoice. That was when Tom Cruise smacked his face right on the Burj while he was swinging about. Classic. Too bad it was just a stunt.